As our oldest child approached the age of 5 in the early 1980’s, my husband and I began looking at the school he would be attending. We had purchased a house thinking that it was within the boundaries of an elementary school whose principal my husband knew. My husband expressed his satisfaction that our children would have a principal that he had worked with before and respected.
However, we soon found out that our new home was in another school’s boundary. This school was across a main street and in a more run-down part of town. We called the school district and asked if we had the option of sending our son to our school of choice and we were told that we did not. The district did not allow for boundary exceptions. We drove by the school our children were assigned to attend and talked to neighborhood children who attended the school. Our dissatisfaction with the school grew. We decided we could not feel comfortable sending our children to that school and began to consider alternatives.
My husband was completing his college education and establishing a locksmith business. I was working full time caring for our house and our three young children, our 5-year-old son and his 3-year-old brother and 1-year old sister. We were short on time and money, but we wanted the best for our children. We found a private school about 20 miles from our home. We only had one car, which my husband needed for his business. As we pondered the logistics of driving our son 40 miles round trip Monday through Friday with the only vehicle we had while meeting the needs of our growing family and business, we felt overwhelmed.
About this time my husband heard an interview on talk radio with a woman who operated a school for her children in their home. He was intrigued with the idea and called her to find out more about it. He scheduled a time to drive out to her house to meet her and observe her homeschool. He came home from that experience convinced that it was the solution for us. Using ideas from other homeschool families and the few resources available at the time, we set up a homeschool for our oldest son.
Everyone in our family was involved in our new venture, and as each child turned 5 we formally enrolled them in our homeschool. We celebrated their first day of school when our school year began in late August. Our family room became our school room. We had a library of books and materials, installed a blackboard and even purchased some school desks. We set aside a specific time of day that school was in session. I did most of the teaching, but my husband was also involved. He joined us during the school day when his work schedule allowed and he spent time with them when he was home from work in the evenings. Our family vacations became field trips. We made everything we did a learning experience, which is something all parents can do whether they homeschool or not.
We eventually moved to the suburbs and checked into the local school district there. We found that children in our neighborhood were bussed to a school several miles away. Because of the bus schedule, they had to leave an hour before school started and didn’t return until an hour after school was out. Two hours a day on a school bus was not an option we wanted for our children. Our homeschool was going well and we decided to stay with that option. Later a new school was build a few miles from our house and we attended the open house. As we reached out to this school, we found they were responsive in connecting with us, sharing materials, ideas, support and allowing our children to attend some of their events. This was a very positive interaction and made transitioning each child from homeschool to public school easier.
We were involved in parent groups for homeschool families. This was also a positive interaction providing ideas, support and socialization. We were members of the Utah Home Education Association with annual conferences. We participated in monthly activities with several other homeschool families in our area. We met some amazing people who mentored us on our journey as parents. We also learned that our struggles were not unique and that it was OK to be learning and growing.
Homeschool is the reminder of who has ultimate responsibility for your child’s education. Parents choose to homeschool for a variety of reasons. For some parents, the decision to homeschool is made because of their dislike of the curriculum offered in their local public school. It may be in violation of their religious or moral beliefs. They may have concerns about the curriculum or the pace of instruction not being the best fit for their child. Either they are concerned that the pace is too slow to keep their child interested, or insufficiently individualized to meet their child’s learning needs. Some parents feel that children are best served when education is self-driven, using learner-chosen activities as opposed to a set curriculum. Homeschool allows parents complete control over the what, when, where, who and how of their child’s education. They can completely design their child’s curriculum and its presentation, or allow their child to choose it for themselves. With homeschool, parents can provide a custom fit education for their children. It is a daunting task. It can be the most time intensive, emotionally and physically draining activity you will ever engage in as a parent; but it can also be the most rewarding. Many parents report that they have experienced great personal development for themselves in addition to strengthening the bonds within their families. If you haven’t already listened to my interview with a homeschool parent, you can listen to it here.
While homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, the legal restrictions vary from state to state. In eleven states, Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Texas there are no restrictions placed on homeschool. Parents are not required to notify school districts or state officials that they will be teaching their children at home. In 16 additional states, some form of notification of intent to homeschool is required. The requirements of who, when and what must be communicated vary by state. The rest of the states have more restrictive requirements that include mandatory assessments. You will want to check into the legal requirements for your state before you begin. There are organizations offering legal assistance to homeschool parents. For current information on legal issues by state, click here.
Homeschool is not for everyone. Available statistics indicate that only about 3-5% of families in the United States homeschool. General acceptance of homeschooling is much greater now than it was in the 1980’s and resources are also much more plentiful and extensive. There are several online programs for parents to choose from. If you do decide that homeschool is right for your family, find and join a parent support group.
As in all things, it is better to be part of a group of likeminded people than to act alone. There is synergistic energy when you share your goals, ideas, and commitment with others. The emotional and mental support is invaluable in addition to sharing resources and exchanging success stories. Check your area for a homeschool support group. If there isn’t one, start one. This can be done through Meetups or other social media. There are many online organizations that you can join which offer value through legal advice, practical suggestions, and even bookstores. Whether you join a co-op or other structured organization or just an online community, your success as a homeschool family will be enhanced through a support group.